Illustration: Peter C. Espina/GT

 

Once upon a summer time, in a hot humid Beijing afternoon, two skinny Chinese women turned their heads around while walking down the street. They looked stunned and said, "Oh my god! She has men's legs!"

Yes, they were talking about me. To be exact, my short and muscled calves.

I was wearing a pair of men's shorts that I had recently bought in the boys section of Zara's children's department, which drew people's attention to my thick calf muscles, a result of a year's worth of long workouts.

That was the first time and also the last time I put on those shorts.

Most Western men and women find muscular legs sexy. Flip through any fitness magazine, and it gives you advice on how to build strong and sexy calves. Women's Health Magazine calls them killer calves, as in, "Sculpted, sexy calves look killer in tall boots."

"Many women focus on typical problem areas such as bellies, butts and thighs. It is a mistake to neglect the calves, as they play a large role in posture and joint health," it says.

Whenever I tell my friends the story above, they feel sorry for me and comfort me by saying, "No worries, you look healthy."

Healthy? Wait! In a country where men and women prefer ultra skinny legs, telling a Chinese woman that her legs look "healthy" is not necessarily a compliment. I believe the word they were looking for was "ample."

Many Chinese women are obsessed with white, long and skinny "chopstick legs." The Chinese are biased against muscular legs, just as they are against dark skin. Flip through any fashion magazines in China, and you can see digitally altered pictures of beautiful girls showing off their skinny thighs and legs. That image has been forever linked with gentility and beauty.

China is not alone. Chopstick legs are popular in South Korea and Japan as well. It is because many believe large calves might make them look awkward and shorter than they actually are while wearing short skirts.

So what can they do? Well, those muscles are "removable." Yes, you heard me right. Women can easily cut off their muscles to get skinny legs through calf surgery.

Calves are mostly muscle, not fat. Up to 60 percent of them can be reduced through surgery. The remaining 40 percent of muscle tissue is said to be "safe enough" to support daily movements like walking, standing and jumping, according to some plastic surgeons.

The surgery is supposedly so popular that many foreigners have travelled to Japan and Korea to get it done.

My roommate is thinking about getting this done too. She puts the blame for her big calves on too much exercise, an excuse that I've heard many times from Chinese women.

Ironically, as women in Asia seek to get their calves surgically reduced, Western women are seeking calf implant cosmetic surgery, which is reportedly as common as breast enhancements. The surgery is designed to help people shape their calves and help improve self-confidence.

As for me, I am proud of my muscled calves. This summer, I am going to put on those boy's shorts again and walk down the streets like I am a star. For those who prefer "chopstick legs," I am not going to argue. They do not really need my fantastic insights.

This article was published on the Global Times Metropolitan section Two Cents page, a space for reader submissions, including opinion, humor and satire. The ideas expressed are those of the author alone, and do not represent the position of the Global Times.